September 2, 2022
Starting in November, the popular USB-C connector will be upgraded and given a new, confusing name: USB4 Version 2.0, which adapts to the latest DisplayPort and PCIe standards and includes updates to the USB-IF’s USB Type-C and USB Power Delivery specifications.
According to the USB Promoter Group, USB4 Version 2.0 will support speeds of up to 80Gbps, compared to the current USB4 speed of 40Gbps. The new USB4 Version 2.0 will reach 80Gbps via “newly defined” 80Gbps USB-C active cables and 40Gbps USB-C passive cables that are now in use.
It will also take advantage of the increased bandwidth for “higher performance USB 3.2, DisplayPort and PCI Express data tunneling to make the most of the increased available bandwidth.” This will allow the USB 3.2 data tunneling to exceed its maximum data transfer rate of 20Gbps.
USB4 Version 2.0, USB4 Version 1.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, USB 3.2 Gen 1 or USB 2.0 are the names for the USB-C ports. It is unknown if USB4 Version 1.0 will support the specified maximum potential speed of 40Gbps.
The sources for this piece include an article in ArsTechnica.
